May Day celebration: Abia to compensate civil servants arbitrarily dismissed by previous administrations

Governor Alex Otti of Abia state, has stated that the state government is in discussion with civil servants, who were arbitrarily dismissed from service, by the past government for reason of where they originally hailed from, not minding their immense contributions to the growth of the State.

The plan according to the Governor is to properly compensate them for the grave injustice done them and ultimately make things right with them.

Governor Otti, made this known, Thursday, during an address, at the celebration of the 2025 International Workers’ Day, held at the Umuahia Township Stadium.

He stated that Abia must never be known as a state that discriminates against people on account of base sentiments and primordial political considerations.

According to him, Abia is and will always be welcoming to all hard-working men and women.

This is as he reiterated that under his watch that salaries and pensions, would continue to be paid, by or before the 28th of every month.

“Last year, we made a promise that Abia shall be amongst the first to pay whatever was agreed as the new national minimum wage, by the Federal Government and representatives of the organised labour.

“Today, I am pleased to report that we kept that promise. We are not just paying the N70, 000 new minimum wage, we are paying it promptly and regularly. We have introduced even higher wage rates for employees in the critical development sectors.

“Just this week, I approved a new pay structure for employees of the State Government working in the health sector; the new standard puts them on the same compensation bracket with their counterparts in federal establishments. We are not yet where we wish to be but I can assure you that the State Government will continue to prioritise workers’ welfare, ensuring that they earn justly for their contribution to the growth of our economy”.

Beyond financial compensation, the Abia State Governor said that his administration is also changing the physical environment, where workers function from.

He said that the Nnamdi Azikiwe and the new secretariats, in Umuahia have undergone major structural transformation and facility upgrade over the last 12 months with power and water supply fully restored to guarantee optimal productivity and comfort for the staff.

He explained that the State Civil Service Commission has since left the decrepit building they occupied before now and moved to a new modern secretariat complex, while the JAAC Building has been completed and now houses several agencies of government, providing safe and decent workplaces for the people, the same for the Budget and Planning Office and annexes.

Governor Otti, said that the Government House, personnel attached to the Office of the Secretary to the State Government, Press Office, Government House Clinic and others, would soon forget the ugly environment of the not-too-distant past, as they await the successful completion of their new office complexes.

He stated that the new structures are supported by independent energy sources, water supply systems and steady and reliable high speed internet network, as envisioned for all government offices in the state.

Read also: Govt says full construction will commence at Abia’s 10,000 bpd refinery

He thanked Abia workers for genuinely embracing the work ethics and standards of the New Abia.

“I am glad that the 9 am to 5 pm orientation is gradually fading away from our work environment, as more people come to a new consciousness that it is possible to operate a 24-hour economy in the state and this does not exclude government agencies and parastatals.

“The New Abia work ethic does not permit anyone leaving the office when there are still files to be attended to or tasks to be executed. You do not go home, because it is 5 pm; you go home, because you have effectively completed the tasks you outlined at the beginning of the day.

“Across the state, private businesses now open much earlier and in many government establishments, you find civil servants at their duty posts early in the day and some don’t mind working on weekends. What is most interesting with the civil servants is that unlike in the past, you now find them actively creating value, prioritising their official responsibilities, while supporting their superiors to deliver on the statutory mandates of their respective offices. Most importantly, the workforce is doing this voluntarily.

“To be honest, I am not surprised that the work ethic in Abia has changed drastically in the last 23 months. I had long maintained that human beings, especially workers, respond to how they are treated. The most significant reasons most workers lost their motivation before now and surrendered to the pull of absenteeism and poor productivity were related to the poor state of the physical environment, disregard for workers’ welfare and a general culture of wealth without work promoted mostly by former public office holders and their lackeys”.

Governor Ottii observed that only a dishonest person, would imagine that an employee whose entitlements have not been paid for several months, would put in their best at work, the same for the man or woman who literally passes through hellfire to access their homes or offices.

He expressed joy that his administration has been faithful to its campaign promise of regular and prompt payment of workers’ entitlements without forgetting those, who offered their best to the state in their most active years and are now retired.